


Soulful Sentences

by Destinys_Dragon



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Multi, Thomas Sanders Storytime Big Bang Challenge 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:14:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26222461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destinys_Dragon/pseuds/Destinys_Dragon
Summary: Virgil was so scared. He was so scared of finding his soulmates. His parents wouldn't approve of them at all, that was a fact. He wished he only had one soulmate, but the universe decided to "gift" him with three. Instead of one, he had three different people writing on his arms and legs every day from dawn till dusk. Eventually, he found comfort in it, chatting with them whenever he was out of parental view. The reds, blues, and indigos were a comfort to him in his darker times. His parents, disgusted with the idea of soulmates in general, still supported Virgil. He was still their son and, in fact, they had found love outside of their soulmates destinies. That meant their son could do the same, right? Wrong. When Virgil left for college, he moved away to attend college out of state. He had saved enough money, from working his butt off, to the grants and scholarships he earned, to get a mostly paid ride for school. He is going to do as he pleases, and that means he is going to find his soulmates, even if he is scared of the consequences if his parents found out. He hoped his parents would never, ever find out.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 19
Kudos: 160
Collections: Storytime! 2020





	1. Simple School Mornings

Darkness. Darkness was the first thing Virgil saw when he was pulled out of his dream. He was drenched in a cold sweat, his heart thundering in his ribcage as he tried to forget his dream **—** no, nightmare **—** that had plagued him during the night. He sniffled, feeling the wet, salty tears dripping down his cheeks. It had been an awful, awful nightmare, something he never wanted to see again.

His nightmare had started off fine, it had been a simple date with his mysterious soulmates, something that was supposed to be a happy thing. Sure, he didn't know who they were or what they were like, but he could feel them there with him, in his dream. This was a normal thing, especially with soulmates who had strong bonds with each other. It usually tended to happen to soulmates who had met already, but it could happen to those who had not met yet.

He was enjoying his time with them, but then everything seemed to come crashing down when his parents caught him with them, ruining the entire dream for him. His parents were soulists—people against soulmates being a thing- which made Virgil's childhood a living hell. The moment his parents found them, all hell broke loose in the dream. They screamed at him, causing his soulmates to run away from his parents. Now that he was awake, he realized that it was his soulmates waking up from his crazy dream, but at that moment he felt crushed, figuring that they wouldn't support him in the case of his parents abandoning him.

In the end of the dream, he was left in tears, listening to his parents screaming at him, calling him a waste of space and worthless. He begged them, pleading for them not to disown him and to just accept his soulmates. They laughed at his desperate pleas, watching their son grovel on the floor. His parents believed the entire concept of soulmates was complete nonsense, something that shouldn't exist in the first place. They said that since soulmates were predestined, it was taking away human choice to find their own romantic partners. Then, they turned and walked away, leaving their son to be alone, so the dream ended with one of Virgil’s worst fears—his family and his soulmates leaving him.

Virgil pressed his hands against the sides of his head, attempting to force the memories of the nightmare away. He was already in tears because of it, wasn't that enough? 

When he finally managed to clear some of it away, he reached over to grab a tissue, wiping the tears from his eyes and blowing his nose. He sniffled and threw the used paper in the trash. He took a glance at his phone, groaning when he saw the time was 5:52 A.M.. He had to be up at six to get to school, so he might as well stay up instead of trying to get eight extra minutes of sleep.

He slid out of bed, tensing when his feet made contact with the cold hardwood. He shook it off pretty quickly, though, heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair. It didn't take him that long to make himself presentable, putting on some makeup to give his face a bit of depth and to hide the bags under his eye, looking at the oddly colored eyes staring back at him.

He bit his lip, gently brushing his finger just under the deep, purple eye that was completely different from the bright green that took up his other eye. He wondered if he should put in that green colored contact he’d bought a while ago. He shook his head, though, deciding he really didn’t give a damn what others thought… save for his parents. He cared a _lot_ about what they thought of him.

He shivered as he started to feel a familiar tingling on his arms. His soulmates must be awake by now, meaning that they were writing their _good morning_ s to each other. He normally waited until all three of them were awake as he didn't want to worry about waking any of them up. He didn't mind them writing early though, since he was usually awake an hour or two before them. Today though, was different, as they were all starting college.

Virgil did notice that it was odd they were all starting on the same day, but he chose to let it go. It wasn't like they were all going to attend the same college. If they were, that meant his soulmates had to be nearby, but he would have already met them if that were the case, right?

He thought back to the dream with his soulmates. It had felt so nice to be with them, enjoying their time together before shit had hit the fan. That had been very peaceful, and they’d even showed up in the colors they chose to write in. But then his parents came in and ruined it. That scared the daylights out of him, and he wasn't sure how he wasn't going to freak out when he had to introduce all three of his soulmates to his parents. The thought of it was enough to send shivers down his spine.

It wasn't safe for his soulmates to be with him, that much was perfectly clear. He was scared of his parents rejecting them and he knew that if they ever, ever found out about him wanting to be with his soulmates, they would disown him for sure. He didn't know what to do, but one thing was painfully clear—he never, ever wanted to have to choose, and as long as he stayed on his own, only communicating through the writing on their skin, he wouldn't have to choose between either of them. So it was all going to be okay, they were all going to be fine… right?

He glanced at the clock and freaked out a little when he realized he only had fifteen minutes to get to class. It was a bit easier since the main classrooms were only a five-minute walk from the dorms, where he was currently staying, alone. He threw on his favorite black jacket with hand sewn plaid patches on it, knowing that the morning was supposed to be rather chilly. He grabbed his backpack, stuffing his computer, tablet and body art pens into the bag and rushing out the door.

It was only a few minutes before he was at the general building, and he looked around, keeping to himself while everyone else talked and chatted with friends that they’d missed over the summer. Virgil took a deep breath and held onto the straps of his backpack with white-knuckled hands. He avoided the large crowds of students walking together, going out of his way to stay away from them.

He speed-walked to his class, his eyes darting around as he looked around at the students. He wasn't really interested in making friends, but he wanted to get a good idea of the different cliques of students so that he could avoid the more preppy or jocky ones. It was nothing personal, but he didn't mix with those groups so it was best to just avoid them outright.

He looked around, before he suddenly felt his heart beat violently against his rib cage as he looked at three students in particular. He had no idea why but they just… gods, he couldn't take it. His face was hot and his hands were clammy and by gods his heart just wouldn't calm down at all. He took a deep breath and tried to look them over and figure out what about them was setting his heart aflame.

The closest guy was moving and flailing around like an idiot, apparently trying to tell a story to his friends, all of whom seemed to be laughing. _Probably laughing at him_ , Virgil thought, rolling his eyes. The guy was dressed pretty averagely compared to everyone. Red sneakers, blue jeans, and a Letterman's jacket with _Prince #1_ written on the back of it.

Virgil didn't believe that was his last name, figuring it was probably a nickname he got from his friends. _I wonder what sport he plays…_

Wait a minute, why did he care? He shook his head, moving forward so he could get a good look at the second guy.

The next was dressed in fairly formal clothes. He was wearing black slacks, black dress shoes, and a dark blue button up. He wore glasses, though Virgil couldn't be sure if he actually needed them, or if they were for aesthetic purposes (not that he would blame the guy).

The guy was clearly a nerd, down from his clothes to his posture. He even had a messenger bag slung over his shoulder, one that seemed to match the color of his shirt. The man's sleeves were rolled up and Virgil could see the brightly colored ink on his arms. He could only see the bright reds and light blues, but he couldn't make out what it said. He didn't pay it any mind, since red was a color that stood out easily, making it a popular choice for soulmates to use to write on their skin.

The last person was… an oddity. Strangely, they were wearing a dress. It stood out a lot more not for the fact they were wearing a dress, but the fact that it, the dress, was a vibrant bright blue. It seemed to fit their personality, however, as the person was bouncing and jumping around as they talked to their friends. Virgil couldn’t deny that they looked pretty cute, and if Virgil squinted he could see a cute little blue clip in their hair as well. It was probably to keep their bangs out of their eyes, which was something Virgil used to do before he lost all of his hair clips.

The dress was accompanied by white sneakers and knee-high rainbow socks. Their backpack was bright green and looked like a frog(not that it really mattered much anyway, but Virgil couldn't help pointing it out). They also had glasses, but instead of sharp, rectangular ones like the nerdy guy before, these glasses were rounded and more bubble shaped. They were very… fitting, to say the least. Virgil could see that their whole aesthetic was more cutesy and bubbly—not that he was judging them. ‘Do whatever you want pal. Doesn’t faze me at all.’

They had nothing in common at all, save for similar hair colors, but that was it. He didn't know why they set him off and why his heart was still going nuts, but he shook it off. He had more important things to do than worry about why these three guys had caught his attention. He had to get to class; his least favorite class, in fact—Math class. Just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine, but he continued walking, making sure he wouldn't end up being late to class. He couldn't be late because of some cute boys—especially not on the first day.


	2. Mathematical Soulmates

Virgil made it to class with a few minutes to spare, thankfully. He took a seat somewhere in the middle, so he wasn't directly in the front and likely to catch the professor’s attention, nor was he way in the back and unable to see the board. He took a seat in an empty row, which was okay for him. There were plenty of rows that were closer to the board, so it was unlikely someone else would end up sitting next to him, which was always a good thing for him.

He pulled out his notebook and his pack of colored pens. It was a mixed pack of pens, but he put in other random pens he had laying around, so the pack was mostly full of purple and black pens, something that was totally okay with him. He mainly used the purple ones for writing on himself and talking to his soulmates, since they had all seemed to use their own signature colors since they were in middle school, and it always made him happy to trace the colored lines that decorated his arms.

Thinking about that made him remember he never checked what they’d written today, so he figured he had enough time to check it out before class. He rolled his sleeves up, taking a look at what they wrote to him.

The first note was a sweet _Good morning, my darlings_ , written in sparkly red pen. Red didn’t always write in his sparkly red pen, but when he did, that meant he was in a really good mood. That made Virgil’s heart swell, glad his soulmate was having a good morning.

 _Don't forget your lunch, kiddos! Lunch is the 2nd most important meal of the day!_ a bright blue ink wrote next, which warmed Virgil's heart. Knowing that three other people were looking out for him always made him feel good.

The last was a simple morning greeting, followed by a _Do not forget to brush your teeth, hygiene is important.,_ which was something he received every morning from the same indigo color. He did remember by himself, but he couldn't help but deny that the constant reminders from Indigo helped him to be able to remember by himself.

He left them a little note about making sure to attend their classes, even if it was fairly worthless considering all of them should be in class already. He was happy to get back a few responses, which consisted of a black check mark and a bunch of tiny red and blue hearts that were being filled in along his arms.

He let it go, tugging his sleeves down as he felt Red and Blue continue to draw all over his arms. It was cute and it always made his day to see the little hearts or other doodles on his body, making him feel a little less alone in the world. Knowing that someone else was always with him, even if they couldn’t meet face to face, was always a comfort to him.

He hummed softly and he opened his notebook, writing down a few things to help organize the notebook even just a little bit to make it easier. He heard a soft cough behind him alerting him that someone else was nearby. He turned to see the guy in the red jacket from earlier. They made eye contact and Virgil ducked away, trying to go back to taking his notes.

The guy spoke up, giving a sheepish smile. "Sorry to bother you, do you mind if I sit here?” he asked, glancing around as most of the other chairs filled up.

"Yeah sure, no one else is gonna sit here, you can stay," Virgil assured, giving a small shrug. He relaxed when the Prince sat back down, causing his shoulder to slump slightly.

Prince looked relieved, moving to pull out his notes. "Thanks… My name is Roman, by the way. I honestly just really didn't want to sit alone on my first day, because that is totally uncool."

Virgil couldn't help but laugh, since this guy looked so relieved to just sit beside him. "I get it, trust me. My name is Virgil, if you care," he informed, watching as the guy pulled his Letterman's off and draped it over the back of his chair.

He couldn't help but admire Roman's toned form, eyes trailing over Roman's body. Virgil made sure Roman didn't notice Virgil ogling him. Virgil felt his heart thumping in his chest and he tried to ignore it, instead watching as Roman folded his arms and set his head in his arms.

Virgil turned his attention away from his seatmate, however, when the professor started the lecture. He made sure to date his notes and jot down any important information, knowing that he was going to have to edit and add on to his notes later on, since he always tended to do that. It was probably one of the reasons he excelled in school, leading him down the path to receiving many scholarships and awards for his academic excellence.

Virgil was taking notes quietly, listening to the professor drone on and on. He jumped at the soft snoring that came from where Roman was so he turned to look over, only to see the guy fast asleep. He rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. _Holy shit, he is loud. How the hell is he sleeping on the first day? Does he want to fail?_ Virgil wondered, pulling out a second sheet of paper. He reached over to take Roman's pen, figuring if he was going to take notes for the guy he may as well use his pen. He looked at the red, glancing at the bright red words on Roman's arms.

He felt a stone sink in his gut when he saw a very familiar _Good morning, my darlings_ written in the exact same sparkly red pen that was on his own arm. He shivered and took Roman’s pen, dropping it the second he realized it was the very pen in question. 

He backed up, his heart pounding a mile a minute. _Calm down Virgil, calm down. It’s probably just a coincidence, you know that. He can’t have_ all _the matching lines, can he?_ Virgil decided to take another look, quickly scanning Roman’s arms.

They matched. The sentences, colors, and it was the exact same down to the different penmenships that covered both of their arms.

 _Morning, don’t forget to head to your classes today. I’ll always be here if you need me,_ his own words were thrown back at him as he looked down at Roman’s marks. Virgil was in shock, his mind going blank as he stared at the words. He never, not in a million years, pictured finding his soulmate this early in life, the thought made his head dizzy.

He wanted to say something, _anything_ to Roman. He wanted to wake him up and kiss him senseless and just be with him. 

But he couldn’t do that, he knew that. His parents would be so disappointed in him. So very, very unhappy with him.

His stomach twisted into knots and he pulled away from Roman, scooting his chair as far away as he could without looking like a complete asshole. He couldn’t tell Roman, he could never. His parents would be so disappointed with him and they would never want to see him again.

So he would just let it go, and he would never say a thing. However… that didn’t mean he couldn’t stay close to Roman, right? He could still be friends with Roman, that wasn’t against the rules, right? Yeah, yeah, he was going to do that, but first…

He pulled out another sheet of paper, copying all of his notes onto that sheet, continuing to add the new notes to both sheets of paper. He didn’t miss much when his focus was elsewhere, as the teacher was still covering the basic introduction and going over the syllabus. He could do that in his own time, and it wasn’t like the rules were that different from every other classroom’s rules.

He glanced over at Roman every so often, a small smile on his face as he watched his soulmate sleep. He was so cute; he would make their other soulmates very happy. He wished he could say something to Roman, but he refrained. It would be bad to get too attached, but as long as he kept his distance he could still be around Roman, even if it was only at arm’s length.

As class slowly drew to a close, the professor let the class ask whatever questions they had. Virgil wasn’t really interested in this bit, but he did make sure to pay attention and add the information to both sets of notes. They weren’t much, only a page covered from front to back, but it was everything important Roman would have to know about what had happened. He took great care to fold up Roman’s copy of the notes, sliding it into the jacket pocket in his Letterman’s jacket.

He took his time packing up, hoping that maybe, _maybe_ Roman would wake up and want to talk to him. Sadly, Roman seemed to be a deep sleeper, not even waking up as people walked by them, loudly chatting with their friends as they headed to their next class. It was okay, though. This wasn’t the last time he’d see Roman. 

He leaned forward, giving Roman’s shoulder a hard shake before darting off, heading to his next class. Okay, maybe he _wasn’t_ ready to talk to Roman, but soon, he would be. _I hope I didn’t shake him too hard… did I do it hard enough, though? What if he isn’t heading to his next class already?_

He kept walking, dwelling on everything and anything. He had to remain calm, or else Roman wouldn’t want to talk to him again. He had to get himself under control so he could actually talk to Roman again. He did have two days, though, since his classes were only two days a week. Unless, of course, Roman had another class with him.

It would all be okay, though. It was going to take some work, maybe a lot of work, but that was okay. He was going to work through everything and everyone was going to be happy. His parents would be happy, his soulmates would be happy, and he would be happy. He won’t be the happiest person with this plan, but as long as he stays close to Roman, eventually he would find his other soulmates. He’d be able to meet them too, and then, after some more work, become friends with them.

Everything was going to work out for him and everyone else in the end, he would make sure of it. Even if he had to make a few sacrifices along the way, everyone would be happy. He had to sacrifice his happiness, but if it meant that everyone else would be happy, he would gladly make that sacrifice time and time again.


	3. Roman's Dinner Date

Roman was silent for the remainder of his last class of the day. It was the one right after his math class, a class he’d decided to take a nap in. It was a very worthwhile nap—the best nap he had ever taken, in fact—but that was beside the point. It was a class that he shared with Virgil, the guy who had sat next to him during class.

A guy like that normally wouldn’t have caught his attention, but Virgil had. He felt touched that Virgil had made a copy of the notes for him, even if he really didn’t have to. Roman had found himself staring at the writing for almost the entire class. He wasn’t so sure what was so special about it, special enough he had traced his finger over the clean, unblemished handwriting many times.

The writing was, well, charming, to say the least. It came with tightly packed letters but neat print, one that was full of loopy y's, g's, and q's. Most of the letters were flowy and had small serifs attached to every tall letter, including the capitals. There was something so very _emo_ about the writing that Roman felt he knew more about Virgil from looking at this paper than from talking to the man in person.

The only thing he noticed was that some of the words were a bit shaky, especially towards the end. Even the signature came with a ton of eraser marks, as if Virgil had been debating on whether or not to leave his name. Roman was glad he’d included his name in the end—he felt it wouldn't have been quite complete without it.

Roman was pulled out of his daze when the sound of chairs scraping against the linoleum floor met his ears. He looked up to see the other students walking out of the classroom, meaning that class had to have ended. Roman stood up and stretched, taking the time to carefully set Virgil’s notes in his folder so they wouldn’t get ruined. As for the rest of his things, he just crammed them into his bag as he walked out of the room without a second thought.

It was only just a few minutes past noon and he had the rest of the day to do whatever he pleased. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, so he decided to head back to his dorm to check to see if his roommate had gotten there yet.

He took his time, seeing no reason to rush out of the nice, beautiful day that was today. It was simply perfect. The perfect weather with a perfect amount of sun was just overall too perfect to not take the time to enjoy it.

Roman ended up at the dorm in about twenty or so minutes, heading over to the office worker, who was waiting in the large living room most students called the Commons. She was seated on one of the couches, her purse tucked against her left leg as she reviewed the packet of papers, most likely a dorm assignment chart, in her hands. He gave a polite nod when she raised her head to look up from the packet of papers she was looking over.

“Hello, how can I help you this evening?” she asked, her smile bright and cheery.

“Hi, I just wanted to know if my roommate found our room name. I believe it was…” He paused for a moment, trying to remember whose name was also on his door. “Robert Smith? Um… I’m room number B129.”

He watched the woman flick through her packet, taking a few moments to find what she was looking for. When she did, her expression turned into a small frown. _Uh-oh._ That was never good.

“Oh, your roommate actually dropped out. I’m sorry you weren’t told earlier, would you like a new roommate assignment?” she asked, looking at everyone else who had single rooms.

“No, no, no! It’s okay!” Roman insisted, shaking his head. He didn’t want to inconvenience this poor woman or anyone else, and it wasn’t a big deal if he didn’t have a roommate to buddy up with. He could make friends with others on campus and just stay with them every once in a while… right?

She looked skeptical, slowly lowering the paper. “Are you sure? It _is_ your first year here, after all. We definitely don’t want you to feel alone on campus—we want you to feel heard here, and to never feel alone.”

Roman gave her a bright grin, hiding whatever doubts he had. He was an adult, and adults didn’t need roommates. “I’ll be fine! I’m actually glad to have my own room—at least I don’t have to worry about ending up with a messy roommate!”

The office worker chuckled, a small smile on her face. “Well, I’m glad we got that all settled. If there is anything else I can do to help you, let me know.”

“Will do!” Roman chirped and he took his time leaving, not wanting to seem like he was running away from her. Once he got outside, however, he groaned, slumping against the side of the building. What was he going to do now? He wasn’t getting a roommate this year, and he was going to be alone.

“What are you doing?” a familiar voice asked, causing Roman to pick his head up. It was the guy from his math class, Virgil. He flushed in embarrassment, rising to his feet and dusting himself off.

“Hey, I was just relaxing outside. Getting some fresh air, you know?” He gave a small chuckle, feeling the blush on his cheeks subsiding.

Virgil smirked at Roman, and he felt his heart seize. “Ah, yeah… you know there’s a bench right over there, right?”

Roman’s flush came back full force as he glanced past Virgil, spotting the bench that was indeed only a short distance away from where he had been seated.

“R—right, my bad. I didn’t notice it until now. Escaped my view a bit, you know?” he mumbled, chuckling. “So, uh, what brings you out here?”

“I was gonna get my wallet,” Virgil mumbled, shrugging. “I forgot it this morning and I wanna get food.”

“I’ll treat you!” Roman piped up, causing Virgil to jump back. He took no note of this, continuing on. “Let me treat you. Consider it a thanks for saving my ass in class earlier.”

He watched Virgil consider it for a few minutes, before the other guy shrugged. “Sure, lead the way, Prince.”

Roman couldn’t deny how warm his heart felt when Virgil called him Prince. He knew it was his last name, but it still sounded so….good coming from Virgil. He started walking, Virgil’s footsteps echoing behind him being a comfort.

This was okay, this was all going to be just perfect. Maybe, just _maybe,_ he could become friends with Virgil. That would be amazing. He would settle for just friendly classmates for now, though—no need to rush things.


	4. Dinner with Roman

Virgil willingly went with Roman, humming softly to himself as he walked. Why would he refuse a free meal? Sure, he was trying to avoid Roman at every cost but, with how much campus food costs and how little money he had left it was nice to be getting one meal for free.

Well, it wasn’t completely free, he still had to make conversation with Roman and try to talk to him without revealing they were soulmates. That would be a total disaster. So, with his hands shoved in his pockets, he walked a bit faster, keeping pace to walk right next to Roman.

“So….how were your classes?” he started with, figuring that he could use the easy icebreaker questions.

Roman seemed to perk up at this, which was a nice bonus for Virgil. Even if he was scared to form a romantic relationship with Roman, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends, right?

“It went great! Oh, I really liked history, because we were already jumping in and talking about fun facts in ancient Rome! You know that my name comes from the great king Romulus? ‘Cause Roman sounds kinda like Romulus?”

“Really? I had no idea?” It took a lot of effort not to roll his eyes at that. Like really, even an idiot could have figured that one out, as it was easier than adding up two and two. “That is really cool, do you have any italian heritage?”

“I dunno, I hope so though! I’m gonna get one of those ancestry tests to see what I’m made up of. Oh, I have a twin too! Guess what his name is?” Roman was skipping as he walked, making it easier for Virgil to slow down. _Holy crap this guy walks so fast!_

Virgil took a minute to think, humming. “Would his name happen to be….Remus?” He couldn’t help but chuckle, watching Roman’s eyes go wide, seeming to realize that Virgil knew quite a bit about this. It was actually one of the first things people learned about in an art history class, a class that Virgil had taken in his junior year of high school.

“Yeah it is! Holy crap, you’re really smart!” he complimented, causing Virgil’s cheeks to flush.

Virgil could feel his heart thumping against his rib cage, a new flush covering his cheeks. Gosh, hearing a compliment from his soulmate was like heaven to him. It made him feel perfect, special….complete. It made him feel like the hole inside his chest had shrunk 3 sizes that day.

“Um…thanks. I really appreciate that. I mean, I took a class on it but it’s still nice to be recognized for being smart. But it’s cool to have a brother, especially a twin.”

“Nah,” Roman groaned, his shoulders slumping. “It’s a pain in the ass to have a brother, especially a twin! Jesus, he is so loud and obnoxious! Like, it’s a struggle living with him. Thankfully, he decided to go to another school.”

“Oh, I see.” Virgil didn’t really want to know this, but he figured that it was nice to see Roman happy. And if he learned a bit about Roman through this, then it was a good thing, right?

“What are you majoring for?” Roman asked, holding the door open for Virgil. Virgil hadn’t even noticed they had arrived at the cafeteria, but he stepped inside nonetheless.

“Thanks….I’m actually majoring in psychology. I’ve wanted to do it since I was a kid.” _And no one would listen to me when I was younger, so I wanna help some poor kids get a chance to speak up._

“Oh, that’s so cool! I was actually thinking about going for acting courses to try and get cast in a musical production,” Roman informed, leading Virgil over to a table. “What did you wanna get?”

“Surprise me….and acting? I could totally see it. What kind of productions are you hoping to get into?”

“Hamilton!” was Roman’s immediate response. He looked so happy and just so _pure_ that Virgil didn’t have the heart to try and crush his dreams. Virgil didn’t even get a chance to respond before Roman took off, heading into the waiting line.

Not that Virgil was going to try anyway, as that would be too cruel, especially since Roman was his soulmate. Not that Roman knew, of course, but Virgil knew, and he would be crushed if he hurt his soulmate.

He pulled out his phone, ticking the time away until Roman would come back. It was the first day of classes so it’s not like there was anything that was due, so he had a little bit of free time. _I wonder if we could do this more often….as friends of course! Only as friends,_ Virgil assured himself, ignoring how his cheeks went hot at the thought.

“Texting your boyfriend?” a voice broke in, causing Virgil to jump. Thankfully, it was only Roman, not some random stranger who was picking on him.

“N—no,” he stuttered out, ducking his head. “I was scrolling through Tumblr, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Are you waiting for your soulmate? That’s so noble of you!” Roman cooed, setting a steak and cheese sandwich in front of Virgil. He had gotten a BLT for himself, and a basket of fries to share. “So, how was math anyway?”

Virgil was glad the first question Roman asked was bypassed, as he wasn’t sure how he would even answer that. “Math wasn’t all that bad. The teacher is really laid-back, and homework is worth a bit more than the quizzes, as they are only a few points. It’s really to make sure you know what you’re doing and to help him give you some feedback.”

Roman nodded along, looking rather relieved. “Oh, thank gods. I’m not that good at math, so this is gonna help me out. I’m way better at the homework, especially when I ask one of the tutors to check it out for me.”

“I can tutor you, I’m pretty good at math.” Sure, he hated the class, but that was mostly due to the teachers making it as dry and boring as possible. Though this teacher seemed to be trying to make things a bit easier for them, probably because math could seem pretty boring at times.

He paused, his brain suddenly feeling like it was short-circuiting. _Wait, did I just offer to tutor him? Wait! I’m supposed to be keeping my distance! Not trying to get closer to him!_

“Really? Oh, I appreciate that!” Roman chirped, grinning. “Oh, it’ll be so much easier because you’ll actually be taking the class!” He dug into his BLT, not wanting it to get soggy before he got a few good bites in.

Virgil could only nod, quietly taking small bites out of his own sandwich. He was fine only eating that, as this thing was massive—he didn’t think he could eat even a single fry after he finished this!

They spent a few hours there, with Roman making a few attempts to talk through his burger, which caused Virgil to snicker and tease him. This was the easy part, just making simple, super shallow conversation instead of the deeper things, such as soulmates. The cafeteria was starting to close down, so they were being asked nicely to leave.

Virgil, not wanting to anger any staff on the first day, scarfed the rest of his food down and packed up his things. “Hey um….thanks for dinner, I really owe you.”

Roman shook his head wildly, swallowing the massive lump of food he managed to fit in his mouth. “No no, I should be thanking you! You really saved my ass in math, I would have been hopelessly lost the next day. And you offered to tutor me, which makes you a total life saver!”

“Thanks, but really. I don’t mind tutoring you….how about on Saturday afternoons?”

“Deal! You’re the best!” Roman reached out and hugged Virgil, before practically skipping off out of the cafeteria.

Virgil stared for a few minutes, before shaking his head. _He’s so energetic, like a little puppy. But it’s cute…..in a friend way._ He took his time heading back to his dorm, looking up at the dark, night sky. Today had been a good day for him. Certain parts had been a bit scary, but it was okay—it had been so worth it in the end.


	5. Night Time Meeting

Roman left feeling like a million bucks. He was so happy he’d gotten to hang out and make a friend! Sure, he had bought the guy dinner, but they seemed to be clicking. And he’d even gotten the shy guy to flush and joke with him. Now _that_ was what Roman would call a win.

He was on his way back to the dorms, wanting to get his bag and everything reorganized so he didn’t have to do it first thing tomorrow. It was easier for him to have everything laid out for tomorrow, so that he could sleep in just a bit past his alarm and then get ready with ease. It was something that saved him those few extra minutes in high school, and he was definitely not going to miss out on those life-saving seconds of shut-eye.

He walked across campus to the doors, noting two different people in particular as he went. He wasn't sure what made them stand out, other than the fact that one looked like a massive prep and the other was a guy in a dress. He didn't have anything against men wearing feminine clothing—in fact, he did it as well. However, that didn't mean that it wasn't a bit of a weird sight, especially in the late evening cold.

The prep was currently walking to the cafeteria, most likely going to get dinner like everyone else was. Roman tried to scoot towards the opposite side of the path to try and get a good look at his face, disappointed when he got no such thing. He watched as the man entered the building and disappeared into the crowd, before turning his attention back to the guy in the dress.

The poor guy was shivering as he stood around, looking at a piece of paper that Roman assumed was either a map or a directions guide. He decided to take pity on the guy and slowly walked over, clearing his throat. "Hey, excuse me? Do you need any help?" he asked, watching as the guy turned to him with a grateful smile. Roman's heart leaped in his chest when he saw the beautiful, bright blue eyes hiding behind bubble-framed glasses.

"Yes, please! I got a map from the admissions office, but I'm still lost! I can't find my dorm and I was too scared to ask for directions," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Because I don't really understand the map set up… and the map I grabbed is a map for the classrooms."

Roman couldn't help but chuckle, holding out his hand. "It's alright, that's why I took an hour before class to walk around the entire campus and find all my classes and my dorm. My name’s Roman, what's yours?"

"Patton, it's nice to meet you." He grabbed Roman's hand, giving it a firm shake. "Thank you again for helping me. I just really wanna get into bed, I'm so cold." Patton pulled his hand away (far too quickly for Roman's liking), to wrap his arms around himself.

Roman felt bad, so he slipped his backpack off, deciding to be kind to this poor stranger. He set his bag on the ground, removing his jacket. "Here, you can borrow this until we get to your dorms, okay? It's pretty warm and it's better than nothing, right?" He looked at Patton, who seemed to be frozen in shock. He took the opportunity to drape his jacket over Patton's shoulders, only to get tackled to the ground.

He cried out and instantly went to try and throw the man off him, only to stop once he realized Patton was… hugging him? He slowly stopped, deciding to just lay there when he heard Patton begin to cry. "Hey, hey it's okay, honestly. I just want you to be warm and—"

"It's you!" Patton interrupted, looking at Roman as he tried to hold back his sobs. "I never thought I'd find you, I thought I would be alone forever," he confessed, burying his face in Roman's chest as his hands curled into the fabric of Roman's shirt.

Roman was so lost, unsure of what Patton was going on about. "I'm sorry, I really don't understand what you're talking about. Do you need to go to the nurse? Or maybe I can call someone to help you?" he offered, but Patton just sobbed harder.

"Soulmate! I found you, you're my soulmate," he insisted, slowly letting go of Roman's shirt with one hand and holding up his arm. It had the same markings Roman had.

He had written to his soulmates a short while ago, asking them what they were doing at the moment. He hadn’t even realized he had gotten responses.

_About to get dinner and call it a night, what are you all doing?_ Indigo had written, the blue lines staying in as straight a line as possible.

_Sleep_ was written in purple, followed by a small doodle of a winky face. If Roman were vigilant, he would be able to tell that the purple writing was written in a similar style to the note he had received in his math class.

He looked up at Patton, his mouth agape. “You… you’re my soulmate. Oh, you’re my soulmate!” he cried out, before he hugged Patton against his chest, burying his face into Patton’s hair. 

“Oh gods, I never thought I’d find you. I was so scared that I’d never find any of you,” Patton whispered, his tears dripping down and wetting Roman’s shirt collar.

Roman was in a similar state, only he was too shocked to cry. This was a miracle, something that he had dreamed of ever since he was a young boy. He had a binder full of drawings, multiple drawings, of what his soulmates might look like. He’d never had a concrete picture, but at least it was something to go off.

Most of the pictures never had a clear face, but a few of them had hair. He couldn’t decide on what color hair they had, so he just made it different shades of brown, like his own. Their clothing style was based off of whatever mood he was in at the time and the colors he associated with each.

The colors he picked were the colors they wrote in the most. There was Violet, his darker soulmate. Then there was Indigo, who was the more logical and neat addition to the group. And finally there was Blue, who was very cutesy and loved to doodle, leaving small little hearts and similar little doodles on their arms and legs.

When he was young, they were dressed like princes and princesses in his drawings, while he drew himself as the king. His mother still had a picture on the fridge of where he married all three of them after saving them from the wicked dragon witch. Sometimes, mostly during his teens, the outfits were more goth or emo themed, but as he grew older they became more casual and had their own themes about them.

Violet stayed in the emo, goth phase—as reflected by his more gothic style of writing; Roman wasn’t sure how to exactly describe it, but the writing and the purple ink just screamed _goth_ to him—but the clothes were more mature. More fitting for an adult rather than something a child or a young adult would wear. Roman was sure, so sure of himself he would bet his precious Miss Fluffybottom on it, that this was exactly how Violet dressed.

Indigo went through several changes as Roman grew. At first, Roman chose to dress him as a scientist or a doctor, because Indigo seemed just as smart as any doctor he knew. Indigo grew even smarter as they aged together, something Roman felt pride in. Not for himself, of course, but pride in Indigo since he tried so hard and excelled at pretty much anything academic.

During their high school years, however, Roman decided to change up how he visualized Indigo. Away went the doctor’s coat and stethoscope, and in came the ruler and button up shirt. Instead of seeing Indigo as a medical professional, something that young Roman had associated with being highly educated, he changed Indigo’s appearance to reflect more of a scholarly persona, and Roman became more accustomed to visualizing him as a teacher.

When he mentioned this to Indigo, he seemed rather pleased at the change. In fact, Indigo wasn’t going to school to be a doctor or a nurse or anything dealing with the medical field. He was, in fact, planning on going to school to become an engineer, and a chemical engineer at that. Roman and Indigo spent the rest of the day talking on the right arm while their other two soulmates, Blue and Violet, spent their time conversing on the left.

Blue, however, wasn't really ever consistent in Roman’s early years. At first, he figured that Blue would be fit for a coach-type role, since he gave the best pep talks around. Then he changed Blue into a nurse, since he seemed to be the sweetest person around. Next, he was dressing him like a cute clown, but after he had drawn a couple pictures of Blue like that, he realized that clowns were too scary, so he went back to making him a sports coach.

Finally, after a few years, Roman started to see him as more of a kind and caring comedian. So instead of making Blue look like his football coach from fifth grade, Roman dressed in the softest, most comfy looking clothes he could come up with. That ended up being a light blue sweater and khaki pants.

Right now, Roman was sure he had been picturing Blue—Patton—all wrong. But that didn’t matter at all. He was just so glad that he had Blue here with him now, and they had found each other this early in life. Suffice to say, he was ecstatic, elated, and he felt like he could run a thousand laps across the entire Earth if it meant he got to come back to Patton.

“H—hello? Are you still here?” Patton asked, pulling Roman out of his daze. Roman, for all his internal planning for their now and future, felt embarrassed about forgetting that he was with his Blue right now.

“Sorry, sorry! I was just so excited I shut down for a second.” It was then he realized that, even with his own jacket on Patton’s body, his soulmate was still shaking like a leaf in the wind. “Here, let’s get to the dorms, though. I can carry your bags for you,” he offered, already reaching to grab one of them.

Patton scooted back and lifted them up himself. “I got it, but thank you so much, ah… Roman, was it? Sorry, I’m awful with names,” he admitted with a soft flush to his cheeks. It was hard to tell, with how red they were from the stinging cold that Roman only now was beginning to feel without the warmth of his favorite jacket.

“It’s okay, you got it right! Let’s get going, though, no sense in chatting out here if we’re gonna freeze ourselves.” And off they went, Roman leading the way to the dorms while Patton trailed behind him. He made sure to go slow, not wanting his soulmate to get lost again.


	6. Unable to Let go

Surprisingly, they didn’t really talk much, save for the small shallow water topics, such as hobbies, interests, and the major they were planning on going for next semester. Other than that it was a fairly quiet walk, giving both of them time to think about what questions they should ask each other when they made it into their destination.

When they reached the dorm Roman went for the door, holding it open to let Patton enter first. “Here, you’re freezing cold,” he insisted, holding his arm out.

He couldn’t help but enjoy looking at Patton’s flushed cheeks as he scurried past, mumbling a quiet thank you. Roman grinned and followed Patton inside, making sure to give him some space. He looked around the lobby, humming. “Did you get your room key yet? If not we can always head to the key kiosk to get it.”

“Oh, I have it right here. The guidance counselor gave it to me,” he informed, holding up a silver key with a green tag on it. The tag had the room number on it, which was B32. Patton was in the B wing downstairs on the first floor.

“Hey that’s cool, I got mine when I came by here after I picked up my schedule.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a similar key, only this time it read B129, which was the second floor in the B wing of the building.

Patton gave a small grin, not really understanding what the letters or numbers on his key meant. Roman, taking the hint, was quick to offer his assistance. “I can show you where your room is if you want. It’s right next to the stairwell which leads up to the second floor where my room is at.”

“Are you sure? It isn’t really out of your way, is it?” Patton couldn’t help but ask. Roman could tell Patton didn’t want to make any extra work for him, which was a really sweet thought.

“No really, it is on the way. And it’s only one flight of stairs so it’s not like it’s a killer for my legs. A little stair climbing will do my legs some good,” He assured, gently taking Patton’s hand into his own. “May I?”

He watched as Patton’s eyes lit up with what seemed to be a form of relief and joy, which made Roman’s heart swell. He wanted to protect this bright soulmate of his, and dammit he was going to try his hardest to keep a smile on Patton’s face.

“Thank you, I really appreciate this.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Roman reassured him, slowly guiding Patton towards the B wing where they would find Patton’s room. It was a short walk, barely three minutes away from the main lobby. By the time Roman realized they were nearing the stairs he started looking at the plaques above the doors, signifying what room it was. _Twenty-nine….Thirty….Thirty-One…. “_ Ah here we are! Room number thirty-two!” he chirped, pulling Patton close to the door.

Patton squeaked as he was pulled, the tip of his shoe catching the floor and causing him to trip into Roman’s chest. He stood there for a good moment, barely registering the arms that had come to wrap around him to prevent him from falling onto the cool tile floor. “A—ah, I’m sorry!”

“No it was my fault—goodness, I need to be more careful! I’m just so excited for everything,” Roman apologized, sighing to himself as he carefully rightened Patton, having to force himself to do this and _not_ hold onto Patton for all of eternity. He knew that would probably freak Patton out and he would end up regretting it if he made things move too quickly for his or Patton’s liking.

He took a small breath, trying to calm himself down and act like a normal person for once in his life. “Anyway, here’s your room, did you want to check the key before I head off for the night?” He didn’t want to leave Patton stranded out in the hall for the night in case staff gave him the wrong key.

Patton nodded and he put the key into the keyhole, carefully turning it. When it clicked he twisted the knob, easily pushing the door open to show a bare room. “It works, thanks for staying to make sure!” he chirped, not moving from his spot.

There was an awkward pause as they both looked at each other. Neither of them were sure what to do, especially Roman. He didn’t think it would be appropriate for him to kiss Patton goodnight, but would asking for a good night hug be pushing his luck? He wasn’t sure if it would be, and he wasn’t willing to test it out in case if he did end up pushing his soulmate away.

After what seemed like forever, it was Patton who actually broke the silence. “So um…..goodnight?” He mumbled awkwardly, his hand reaching up to rub against the back of his neck. He toed the floor, something Roman couldn’t help but notice.

“Yeah, goodnight.” Roman slowly reached out and took Patton’s hand. He gave it a gentle, but firm, squeeze, before letting go and scurrying up the stairs. He didn’t wait to give Patton a chance to respond, unwilling to hear even the slightest bit of rejection.

“WAIT!” Patton called out, causing Roman to freeze halfway up the stairs. He stood on the landing, turning back to see Patton hurrying up the stairs. “Please wait, don’t leave yet!”

Roman froze, looking at Patton, who was out of breath, with wide eyes. “Patton? What on Earth are you—” He was cut off when Patton flung his body at Roman, latching onto him with an immense amount of strength. He wrapped his arms around Patton, taking a step back so they wouldn’t fall to the floor again.

“Don’t leave, please! I just found you, I don’t want to lose you already!” Roman felt wetness on his shirt and he slowly reached up to run his fingers through Patton’s hair.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, I promise. I’m not leaving, I was just going to head to my dorm room and—” He cut off, now realizing what Patton wanted. It wasn’t hard to guess, especially with how afraid Patton looked at the possibility of letting Roman leave his sight.

He wasn’t sure how he’d forgotten, but he had a thought about how Blue told them all about how his biological parents abandoned him at birth. Patton was adopted by what seemed like a nice couple from the start. He was living with their two biological daughters—B and E was what he called them, since he couldn’t directly name them.

B was the eldest out of the three of them, and she was so nice and sweet to Patton. She was amazing at sewing and she would sew Patton’s clothes when he was a little boy. Patton always looked up to her, even as he got older she was still his big sister.

E was a little bit spoiled when she was young, having everything handed to her by their parents. Patton didn’t really mind much, save for when she always got the second cookie and he only got one for dessert. But that was okay, it was only a cookie or maybe a toy every once in a while, nothing super big.

Then, everything took a turn for the worse. He was in middle school at the time and E was in elementary. B was in college at the time, but she’d stayed home to finish a project that was due soon. Their parents were out on a date, something that they now wished they would have chosen to do a different day. But at the time, they’d had no idea that them leaving the house would bring the worst kind of people to visit.

When asked what happened after that, Blue refused to say any more. He did mention though, that his adopted parents kicked him out for reasons he left out, but after that he moved in with another family, and he looked up to the eldest, which was his uncle Em.

“Oh Patton, I’m not going to leave you, okay? Would you….would you like to stay the night with me in my dorm? I don’t have any roommates rooming with me, so I’m sure that we can get you moved over to my dorm pretty-”

“Yes, please!” Patton squeaked out, pressing himself closer to Roman. Roman knew that they needed to get up to his room now, but he didn’t really care to let go of Patton just yet.

He ran his fingers through Patton’s soft, slightly curly hair, humming softly. He felt Patton’s grip loosening, letting Roman pet and hold him. Eventually, after a few more minutes, he decided that it would be better if they continue this upstairs instead of in the middle of the stairway. “Can you go get your bag and shut your door? I’ll walk with you,” he offered, feeling heat bloom in his chest as Patton gave him a small smile.

“Please? It would mean a lot to me,” he said, toeing a small hole in the ground.

Roman gently took Patton’s hand, leading him back downstairs. “Of course I won’t leave you, I’ll stay with you tonight, okay?” He did have classes tomorrow but he was sure that Patton wouldn’t mind them breaking for classes, so it was all going to be okay.

“Y-Yeah. I….you won’t be upset if I have to leave early, right? I have to meet someone for a group project at the library tomorrow and the only time that they can do it is early in the morning.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll give you my phone number before we go to bed tonight and you can call me when you’re done so we can meet for lunch.” He reached out and grabbed Patton’s bag, rolling it over.

Patton took the hint and he walked over to the door, pulling the key back out. He locked it up, pulling on the doorknob to make sure that it really was locked. Roman assumed that was a force of habit, but he didn’t feel the need to call Patton out on it. “Yeah, did you want to meet in the cafeteria for lunch or did you wanna go out somewhere?”

“We can go out somewhere. I know this really great Italian place that makes the best lasagna. Is that okay with you?” He held his hand out, his cheeks flushing when Patton instantly reached out to grab it.

“Yeah, that’s perfect! I’d really like that!” Patton let Roman lead him up the stairs, going all the way up this time instead of stopping on the landing.

Roman glanced out the window into the night sky. He could swear that he saw a shooting star fall just as he looked out, but he couldn’t be certain. He hoped it did, because he wished that he would meet his other two soulmates here as well. He wanted all of them to get together as quickly as possible, so he never, ever had to worry about not finding each other, as his Mom and Ma had to worry about.

He had Patton now though, and right now, Patton was all he needed. He was content, knowing that he had found at least one of his soulmates—that was all he needed at the moment.


	7. Library Meetings

In the morning, just a bit after seven, Patton was awake already, just watching Roman sleep. Last night when they finally got to Roman’s dorm room they had almost instantly fallen asleep, after they’d swapped phone numbers, of course. That was the first night Patton was able to say he’d truly gotten an amazing night's sleep.

But now he had a bigger problem to face. If he wanted to be on time to meet his project partner for Business, he had to leave now. But Roman was still sleeping right there, and he really didn’t want to leave. But….but he had to. He had to leave, he knew it, he had to go and help his partner, even if he really didn’t want to go. _I’ll make this quick, and then I’ll meet him for lunch, and then I….then I can….do something else with him_ , Patton decided, and, to him, that sounded like a good plan.

So he ended up getting dressed in the second bedroom, taking care of brushing his hair and teeth as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake Roman.

When he finally got out of the house it was seven forty-five, so he was able to take a brisk walk to the on campus library. It was a cool, crisp morning— _perfect weather for working on a project,_ Patton thought, looking up at the neatly printed sign reading _Library_ before quickly walking inside.

He shivered as the cool air left goosebumps on his arms, but he moved forward. He went to the reception desk, where an in-training librarian was waiting for them.

“Good morning sir! What can I help you with today?” she chirped, a bright smile on her face.

Patton smiled back, even if it was only a small one. “I have a reservation for a private room from eight till nine,” Patton informed, smiling brightly.

The librarian looked over at the list of reservations, humming softly. “Ah, we have that room booked for a study session. Can I please see your campus ID?” she asked, holding out her hand.

Patton handed it over, making no issues for the lady. “Of course you can! Has it been busy this morning?” he asked, trying to make small talk.

“Actually, no, it’s pretty empty this morning. Only a few people stopped in this morning to check out books or use the computers. It was actually really nice. I’ve gotten a lot of extra work done, like laminating signs, putting the book-to-go delivery boxes together for students, the works.”

“Oh, what’s a to-go delivery?” Patton asked, watching as she typed in a few things before handing him back his card.

“It’s where we have someone get the books you need together as long as they are here and bring them to your dorm room. This year the program is free to freshmen but every year after you have to pay a one time fee of fifteen dollars. How neat is that?”

“That sounds amazing! That will sure make my life easier,” he joked, giggling. “I will definitely look into that.”

”I hope you enjoy it! Your room is number two on the left hand side of the hall. I’ll send your partner back when he gets here.” She handed the card back and a sheet of paper explaining the book-to-go. “This is all about the book-to-go in detail. We do only deliver on Thursday through Sunday unless specially requested. That is an extra fee though, but it’s only like one or two bucks.”

“Thank you so much! I appreciate it,” ze chirped, slowly making his way to the private study room where he was directed to go. He looked around, humming softly as he walked into the room. It was just as cold in here, if not colder than outside.

It wasn’t anything special though, just two couches against the wall with a table in the middle of it. There was also a single computer tucked into the corner, though it seemed the library expected people to bring their own.

Patton took a seat on one of the couches, pulling out his computer and a notebook. He took his time preparing, humming softly as he wrote down a list of the things that had to be included in their presentation. It was an easy presentation, and they only had to speak about two or three minutes between the both of them.

The professor called it an introductory exercise, as it was only meant to see how comfortable everyone was with researching, presenting, and all the other skills they would need to be successful in his class. It was graded on participation only, which was a blessing for most students. A small chunk of freebie points was a good way to start off a class and it was rare for teachers to do that.

Patton heard a knock on the door, and he smiled. “Come in!” ze called, turning to the door when it slowly creaked open. He waved, watching as his project partner, Logan, walked inside.

Logan was still sharply dressed despite the early hour. He wore a dark blue striped polo and black slacks. He also had a black tie, something that Patton thought fit him well. All in all he looked sharply dressed and Patton didn’t exactly mind it.

“Greetings. I know we met the first day, but my name is Logan Sharp. It is a pleasure to get to work with you,” he informed, giving Patton a very formal looking smile.

“It’s nice to meet you again! I’m still Patton Hart, in the flesh,” he chirped, unable to stop himself from giggling. “I’m excited to be working with you, I can tell you’re really good at studying!”

“How so?” Logan asked, shutting the door and taking the chair that was opposite to the couch that Patton was sitting on. He pulled out his computer, letting it boot up as he slid a notepad out of his bag. “So, have you had any time to think about what you want our project to be on?”

“Actually, yeah! I was thinking that we could do our presentation on a business simulator I found. I know it’s not accurate, but it actually gives a lot of knowledge on the business world, along with helpful side tips.” He turned his computer around, letting Logan see the screen.

It was a business simulator game that Patton had found when searching for business models. Sure, it was a game, but who said they couldn’t have fun with this?

“I, um….I see. I suppose that we could cover it on anything. Why don’t you teach me how to use it? I would really appreciate your guidance with this.”

Patton felt his face heat up, though he wasn’t sure why. “O—Of course! Why don’t you sit down on the couch with me and we can play together?” he asked, pulling up the model for them to play with. “Do you want to start with the creative version with unlimited cash, or the authentic version where you start with a certain amount of money?”

“Let’s start with the creative version, so you can teach me about the controls and such.” Logan sat down right next to Patton and Patton could feel Logan’s leg brush his own.

“O—of course, I’m sure that you’ll catch on real quick!” He started the game up in Creative, making a simple business layout for Logan to play out with.

He was actually right about Logan catching on quick and they ended up switching over to the real life simulator after about a half an hour. It was actually a nice way to spend his morning, Patton thought. He found that even if he missed Roman’s company, being with Logan just felt….right. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t dwell on it. They had a project to do and Patton was going to make sure it was his best project yet!


	8. Surprising Realizations

It was about ten o’clock when they finally decided to take a small break from playing around with the simulator. Patton was really happy Logan seemed to be enjoying it just as much as he had. Logan took the time to read an astronomy textbook while Patton spent the time on his phone scrolling through pictures of cute puppies.

He looked up just as Logan turned another page, deciding to make some small talk. “So, how has campus life been treating you? Do you like your classes?”

“I haven’t had any problems with campus life so far, though I’ve only been here a week,” Logan informed, shrugging.

“But…classes started yesterday.”

Logan sighed softly, adjusting his glasses. “There was an early move in day last Sunday. It was so students could get their rooms set up before classes started up. It was just a little thing to make sure that freshmen or people who were living in the dorms for the first time were able to get comfortable before they had to worry about studying and tests.”

“Oh…that’s a really good idea! I wish I would have known that,” he huffed, pouting.

“Well you’re here now, and that’s all that matters. Did you find your room easily?”

Patton hummed, giving a small shrug to Logan’s question. “It was pretty easy….after I asked Roman to come out and help me. I didn’t even know where the dorms were as I went to my classes first thing but he was really helpful!”

Logan stopped to ponder this information, before he responded. “I see….who is Roman? I don’t think I heard that name when they announced who the dorm counsellors were.”

“He isn’t a dorm counsellor, he’s my soulmate!” Patton informed, watching as Logan’s eyes widened. He thought about what he’d just said, a sheepish smile making its way onto his face as his hand came up to rub the back of his neck. “Whoops, I, um…..surprise! I found my soulmate!”

“You found your soulmate! How on Earth did you find them so quickly!? It’s only been a day!” Logan asked, shock and amazement in his voice. He couldn’t believe he actually knew someone who’d found their soulmate so early.

Usually people ended up finding their soulmates in their late twenties at the earliest, unless they were a rare case where they were raised closely together and found each other as children. Other than that, there was a very small chance you’d find your soulmate before you were thirty. At least, that is what the polls taken stated, and it was all scientifically sound. 

“Well….he actually found me looking for the dorms. I just made the connection that the marks on his arms looked awfully familiar to me. Then it just clicked,” Patton explained, squeaking when Logan’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. He froze, looking at Logan in shock.

“Don’t move,” he ordered, and Patton didn’t so much as twitch.

Patton watched as Logan looked over the sentences decorating his arms. He shivered as Logan’s thumb traced over them, his eyes growing wider and wider as he continued to read them.

After what felt like forever, but was really only a few minutes, Logan looked at Patton, his mouth moving as he tried to say something. “You…you’re my so….sou….” Logan’s mouth wouldn’t form the words he wanted, so instead he wordlessly held his arms out to Patton.

Patton looked them over for a moment, his body shaking as he tried to stop himself from crying.

“Soulmate….we’re soulmates,” he whispered, barely able to get his voice above that.

Logan nodded and he let go of Patton’s arm, before he threw himself at his partner. Patton fell back onto the couch, letting out a puff of air as Logan fell on top of him. He just let Logan lay on him, even as the guy’s body started to tremble. He felt the collar of his shirt growing wet. He let it go though, humming softly to try and console Logan.

Patton held onto Logan until Logan picked his head up, his face wet with tears as he looked at Patton. There was no warning when he leaned forward, planning on kissing his newly found soulmate.

Suddenly there was a sharp knock on the door, causing Logan to fly off Patton. They look at each other like deer caught in headlights, looking extremely embarrassed. Patton scooted towards the door, standing up to open it.

“H-hello? Did you need something?” Patton asked, his heart thumping in his chest at what he and Logan almost did. He glanced over at Logan, who was tucked into a ball on the opposite end of the couch. His cheeks were brightly flushed and he had a shocked expression on his face. Patton was feeling the same way as he was, but he managed to hide it a lot better.

Patton watched as the door opened and he felt his heart skip a beat. In front of him was the cutest guy he’d ever seen. The guy looked so nervous standing there, and Patton had a strong urge to just pick him up and coddle him. He didn’t know why he wanted to do that or what made this guy any different, so he pushed the thoughts aside as the guy started to speak.

“H—Hi, are you Patton?” the guy asked, playing with the overlong sleeves of the massive hoodie he was bundled in.

“Yep! Are you the library aid?”

“No, I’m Virgil, just a normal student. Roman sent me to give you something. I dunno why, but um….here.” He handed over a small box of donuts with a cutesy little note taped to the top and a small pile of napkins. “These are for you and your partner, um……”

“Logan.”

“Your partner Logan. I, um…..I’m gonna get back, I was on my way to the dorms when Roman sent me over cause he was heading to class instead. So um…yeah.” He went to excuse himself, not wanting to get in the way of their studying any longer than he had to.

“Wait! Would you like a donut?” Patton asked, already opening the box and setting one in a napkin for Virgil to take.

Virgil shook his head and when he went to open his mouth to decline, the donut was already set into his hands. “A—Ah thank you, I appreciate it,” he squeaked out, before he quickly fled the room.

Patton was actually caught off guard at the sudden retreat, feeling guilty for making this poor guy nervous. Hopefully he got a chance to make up for it in the future.

Logan gave a small cough, slowly moving to go back to the chair he was sitting in previously. He felt a bit better, putting more distance between them while he tried to figure everything out.

Patton sat back down on the couch, playing with the papers they were using as scratch paper for the project. “So, um…..hi?”

“We’ve already been through this. You’re my soulmate,” Logan stated, cutting directly to the point. “And you already have another soulmate who may or may not be one of my other soulmates. And now I have found you and I…..well, I don’t know what to do,” he admitted, ducking his head.

“That’s okay, that’s okay!” Patton assured, smiling. “You don’t have to know what you want to do yet with this, that’s okay. But can we figure it out together? You, me, and Roman?” He asked, grinning as Logan gave what was probably the smallest nod known to man.

Logan took a breath, playing with his tie. “I’d like that….but I don’t know if Roman’s my other soulmate. I don’t want to make either of you upset if it turns out that he isn’t my soulmate.”

“But he is! Our arms match, silly, we all have three colors on them,” he insisted, holding his arm out. “I’m the blue one and Roman is the red one, read it over!” He pressed, pushing his arm into Logan’s face.

Logan gently pushed Patton’s arms out of his face, biting his lip. “I just…I can see that they match, but I just worry. I just don’t want either of you to be disappointed.”

Patton figured that Logan was talking about them being disappointed with him, so he rose to his feet, looking rather determined. “We won’t be disappointed at all! I’ll prove it!” Without waiting for Logan to respond he left the room, practically skipping over to the general building to go and find Roman.


	9. Celebrating the Occasion

Logan was left sitting in the private study room, tapping his fingers on the table as he waited for Patton to return. He had already rewritten their notes and added new details to make it clearer to read. He messed with the simulation a bit more, before deciding that he was too nervous to concentrate.

He had a sinking feeling in his gut, wondering if Patton had left him. Logan shook it off, using logical to reason himself out of it. ‘Patton’s things are still here, meaning he cannot leave them behind. Therefore, Patton will be returning within forty-seven minutes.’

Logan leaned back, satisfied with that. Now all he had to do was wait for Patton to return with whatever he went to retrieve. He wasn’t sure what Patton was getting or how long it would take to get, but he figured it had something to do with the two of them being soulmates.

When there was a knock on the door, he sat back up. “Come in!” he called, his tone hopeful. _Patton’s back! Calm down, Logan, of course he could come back, his stuff is still here_ , he assured himself, pushing down that small bit of doubt that was circling in his head.

The door opened and Patton walked in, followed by two other guys. One of them was the guy who came by to drop off donuts, Virgil. The other guy, who was currently holding hands with Patton, had to be Roman. He looked Roman over, his cheeks going pink as he looked Roman over.

Roman was….well, attractive, to say the least. Roman’s eyes were the first thing Logan noticed, out of everything in front of him. The bright, fiery rubies were looking at Logan like he was the most important thing ever. That made Logan feel like he was melting, almost turning into putty laying on the floor. Logan’s heart thumped and he didn’t move when Roman walked over.

Wordlessly, he held out his arm to Roman, who took it with such delicacy and grace. He watched as Roman’s fingers traced over the words on his arm, glancing at Roman’s lips to see him mouthing out the words. After a moment he realized Patton was speaking, so he regretfully turned his attention over to Patton and away from Roman.

“So, this is Logan, and we really had no idea that we were soulmates! He did spook me a little, but it was okay ‘cause he was just as shocked as I was!”

“Ah, I see. Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Logan,” Roman greeted, gently pressing a kiss to Logan’s hand. “My soulmate.”

Logan wasn’t sure why but instead of looking over at Roman, he looked at Virgil. He saw disappointment, a small bit of anger, and…was that longing? It was as if Virgil yearned for this type of partnership. Maybe Virgil hadn’t found his soulmate yet…..or maybe he didn’t have one at all, that was a possibility as well. The condition was rare—so rare, in fact, that out of millions of people, only about one or two people had it—but not completely unheard of.

Or maybe…no, Logan wouldn’t dwell on that one at all, as that would ruin the pure happiness he was feeling. He leaned into Roman, feeling Patton coming up behind him and sandwiching him in between. He held onto Roman as he felt Patton struggling to wrap his arms around both of them at the same time.

“Patton, come on you can’t—ah!” Roman squeaked, pulling away as his hands covered his sides. “Patton I’m ticklish there!”

Logan snorted at the absolute absurdity of this. He couldn’t believe any of this was happening; it almost seemed too good to be true.

“What if we do something simple?” he asked, causing everyone to look at him. He continued, unbothered by all the eyes on him. “What if we just have a small movie night. That way we can all get to know each other…and Virgil,” he decided, causing Virgil to shrink in on himself.

“I don’t wanna intrude, I’ll let you guys be,” he mumbled, trying to shuffle out.

Roman reached out, grabbing Virgil’s arm. “Nonsense! I just found my soulmates, and I want to celebrate with both of them and my best friend! Come on, please?” he begged, giving Virgil the biggest puppy dog eyes.

Logan thought Roman looked cute, a bit stupid with how wide his eyes were, but cute nonetheless. “Yes, I want to get to know my soulmate’s best friend as well.”

“Me too, me too!” Patton chirped, bounding over and hugging Virgil. “Please? Come on, it will be fun!”

Logan watched as Virgil looked between all of them, before he let out a loud sigh. “Fine~ let’s go ahead and celebrate.”

Roman squealed, making Logan tense and Virgil jump. He felt a hand grab his arm, before Roman pulled them all in for a group hug.

“This is perfect! Oh, you guys are the absolute best soulmates and friends ever!” Roman cheered, swaying all three of them around in a little happy swaying dance. “Let’s head to my place, it’s big enough for all of us!”

Logan huffed softly, his cheeks a shade of cherry pink as he let Roman sway them around. Their time in here was pretty much over anyway, which was okay. He and Patton had gotten their project far enough along they could take a day or two off and still have it in early.

Eventually, Roman let everyone go, which made Virgil breathe a sigh of relief. _Maybe he doesn’t like physical touch much?_ Logan pondered, shrugging. It wasn’t any of his business, and it wasn’t like it was going to affect him later on.

After they all grabbed their things, which were already almost packed away anyway, they headed back to the dorms. Patton and Roman were eagerly jumping in with what movies they wanted to watch, going back and forth to try and decide what was to be watched first.

Logan was trailing back with Virgil, unsure if he should attempt to talk to the man beside him. In the end, he chose not to, as he wanted to listen to his soulmates. So that was what he did, following them along to Roman’s dorm.


	10. Sticky Situations

“But Lo, come on! I promise it’ll be fun!” Patton chirped, giving Logan a pleading look.

Virgil snickered, shaking his head. They had only watched a few movies so far—Cinderella III: A Twist in Time and Winnie the Pooh—but it had made him loosen up a bit.

He was starting to feel more comfortable around them, opening up and joking right along with them. Despite his parents warning him about soulmates being dangerous, he felt completely _alive_ hanging out with them right now.

At the moment though, Patton was trying to convince Logan to let Patton draw on his back. It was going pretty poorly, but maybe Virgil could help.

"Come on Lo, it's just gonna be a few doodles. You could always wash them off tomorrow if you want," he informed, smirking at them.

Logan groaned quietly, shaking his head. “Fine, I suppose it will do no harm. But stay away from my neck, okay?”

"Okay!" Patton chirped, ducking into his room to get some washable markers.

Virgil had only found this out a few hours ago, but Patton had ended up moving into Roman's dorm the first night they met. He hadn't asked why, and neither had Logan.

When Patton came back, Logan regretfully removed his shirt, laying on his stomach. Patton sat on his legs, making sure that Logan was comfortable before he started drawing.

Virgil squirmed a bit as the markers brushed against Logan's back, knowing that the same markings were appearing on his own body. He played on his phone, glancing at the kitchen every once in a while.

Roman had left halfway through Winnie the Pooh to make everyone dinner. He’d said something about making just spaghetti and meatballs, but from the sounds of pots and pans being thrown around, it sounded like Roman was making a little bit of everything.

Suddenly, Roman's head poked out from the doorway of the kitchen. He was mostly clean, wearing a red apron with _Kiss the Cook_ written on it in fancy gold letters.

“Hey guys, what kinda pop do you like? Dinner is almost done and I figured drinks would be nice to have too,” he said, poking his head out. “I have Sprite, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, or root beer.”

“I’ll take a Pepsi,” Logan informed, shifting slightly when the markers trailed down his spine.

“Sprite for me please!” Patton piped up, finishing a little blue heart he drew on the lower part of Logan's back. Patton looked up once he had finished coloring it in, looking over at Virgil. “Did you wanna write something too, Virgil?”

Virgil went to say yes, only to pause. He realized they would recognize his hand writing, and then everything would end up falling apart. “Nah, I’m good. Though I could totally draw a gold star on his back,” he teased, snickering. “Oh, and I’ll take a Dr. Pepper, Ro.”

“I’m good, I’d rather you not turn my back into a doodle sheet of paper,” Logan stated dryly, though the grin on his face said he was clearly amused by this.

Roman grinned brightly at the nickname, bouncing into the kitchen. Everything was going so well, it was all perfect for him. His two soulmates were getting along with his best friend, what could be better than that?

Virgil was scrolling through his phone, shifting around a bit whenever his back tingled to copy what Patton was drawing on their backs. Roman had even popped in while the pasta was finishing cooking to doodle on Logan’s back.

“I’m gonna draw something real quick, can I have the red pen?” Roman asked, grinning as Patton handed it over.

“Go ahead Ro! I left you plenty of space. Are you sure you don’t wanna draw anything, V?” Patton asked, scooting out of the way so Roman could take his turn writing.

“Nah, I’m good, letting a rando write on your soulmate would be a bit weird, right?”

“You’re not just a rando, you’re my best friend!” Roman insisted, pouting. “Right?”

Virgil’s heart throbbed as Roman called him his best friend. Part of him was so happy to hear that, the other part was devastated that his soulmate only called him a best friend. He knew Roman had no idea that he was their fourth soulmate, but it still hurt to hear. “Of course, Ro, you’re my best friend too.”

The grin that appeared on Roman’s face was worth the heartache Virgil was feeling. He didn’t really have a reason to feel upset, as this pain was self inflicted. He knew he was hurting them, because, while they were smiling, he heard them. He heard them talking and trying to find their Purple, wondering if they would find him soon. They were hopeful, and that was crushing Virgil inside

Virgil tried to ignore it, knowing that it would just break all of them if he said anything now. There was no way he couldn’t _not_ know, especially since they were writing on eachother in front of him and he was feeling tingles racing up and down his back.

“How does this look, V?” Roman asked, pulling away from what he’d made.

Virgil looked at it, smiling softly. It was a big red heart that was in the center of Logan’s back with the words _Ro+Lo+Pat 4ever_ written in the center. “It looks really cute, Ro, I’m sure Logan is gonna appreciate that.”

“Appreciate what?” Logan asked, trying to sit up and somehow look at his own back. Patton pushed him back down, however. It was clear Patton wasn’t done drawing yet.

“You can see after we finish, okay? I promise you’ll like it,” Patton assured, giggling at Logan’s heavy sigh.

“Fine, I suppose you wouldn’t do anything horrible, so I’m going to trust it is nothing inappropriate.”

“It’s not, I would never!” Roman gasped out, a hand flying to his chest as he looked all kinds of offended. “How dare you suggest such a thing!”

Logan snorted, shaking his head. “I’m only teasing, Roman, I promise.”

“Yeah, well, I—” He cut off as a timer beeped, causing him to stand up and fly into the kitchen. “Pasta! The pasta’s ready!”

Virgil snorted, shaking his head. He kept squirming, unable to stop himself as Patton drew something else on Logan’s back. He tried to glance at it, wanting to know what was on his own back. But at the same time, he didn’t want to seem weird by trying to look at the shirtless man laying on the couch.

Virgil looked up as Roman brought in four bowls of pasta and silverware, setting them down on the table. Roman gave a small hum, handing one of the bowls directly to Virgil. Patton was still using Logan as a canvas, so they weren’t eating anytime soon.

“Thanks,” Virgil mumbled, taking a fork and using that to twirl his noodles.

“I’ll be in with the drinks in a sec, okay?”

“Sure, Ro, go for it, it’s not like I’ll be moving anytime soon,” Logan teased, shivering when Patton kissed a spot just below his shoulder blades.

“I’ll let you go in a bit Lo, I just wanna make sure that your back is all doodled up. I’ve never gotten the chance to do this,” he admitted, giggling. “But it’s okay, this is really fun!”

“Come on specs, let him enjoy this for a bit. What harm is it gonna—” he cut off with a yelp as four glasses of soda were spilled all over him. He heard a thud and he saw Roman down on the floor, groaning loudly.

“Roman!? Are you okay?” Virgil asked, kneeling beside him. Thankfully, nothing was broken, as the cups were just plastic.

Roman rubbed his head, cursing softly. “I’m fine, fuck, I’m sorry, V,” he apologized, looking rather guilty. “Gods, you’re soaked, let me get you a towel.” He ran off, heading to the bathroom to grab one.

Virgil cleaned up the mess as best he could, Patton coming over with wet rags and soap to help get it out of the carpet. Thankfully, it came right out of the carpet without leaving any stains. “Thanks, Pat, I appreciate your help.”

“No problem kiddo! Why don’t you go up to the bathroom too? You’re gonna wanna shower and change out of those sticky clothes.”

Virgil paused and he went to retort or say something so he wouldn’t have to go up to shower and change, but at Patton’s stern no-nonsense look, he walked upstairs, his head ducked down as if he were trying to hide from the fate that awaited him.

He walked over to the bathroom and just as he went to walk in the door opened, Roman walking out with a towel in his arms.

“Oh, hey, V, I got you a towel.”

“Thanks, I’m just gonna jump in the shower if that’s cool with you,” he informed, shrugging. “I don’t think you want sticky furniture anyway.”

“Oh, go right ahead! My soaps are a bit….more feminine, I hope you don’t mind,” Roman informed, his cheeks flushing.

Virgil shrugged, not really caring. “Soap is soap, Ro. Whether it smells like trees or vanilla, it’s gonna clean me, right?”

“R-right?” Roman stuttered, handing the towel to Virgil. “Well, I’m gonna go and check on the others, make sure the stain is out, you know?”

“Go for it,” Virgil waved him off, walking into the bathroom. He shut the door behind him, quickly stripping down. He set his clothes into a little pile, jumping into the shower.

He made it quick, a fond smile on his face as he looked at the pretty bottles of soap. He ended up just grabbing one and using it, enjoying the lavender scent. He didn’t want to use all of it, that would be rude, so he only used a tiny bit, enough to get the sticky soda off.

When he finished he was able to put his pants back on, since they didn’t get much soda on them. His shirt though, took the brunt of the soda spray. That was okay, he coulod probably just ask to borrow a shirt off Roman.

He looked into the mirror, watching as he used the towel to dry off his own hair. He didn’t hear the door click open, but he did hear the startled gasp and the sound of clothes dropping to the floor. He turned around, face going white as he saw Roman standing there, a mix of shock and anger on his face.

_He knows,_ Virgil realized, a hand trying to cover the large heart in the middle of his back. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he just looked back at Roman.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like forever, until Roman was able to find his voice once again.

“Virgil, why?” Roman whispered, looking Virgil up and down. Virgil watched Roman’s eyes trail over the marks, the marks that both Patton and himself had drawn all over Logan’s back. The hearts and loving sentences decorated in colorful ink. 

Virgil knew the big, red heart that was in the center of his back, with _Pat+Lo+Ro in the center,_ was a dead give away. He couldn’t have written that on himself, why would he even do that? The only explanation was the one clear in front of both of them, the explanation that Virgil had tried to keep a secret.

Virgil attempted to cover himself with his soda-soaked shirt, not that it helped much at all. He started to say something, but Roman shut him down in an instant.

“Downstairs…. _now,”_ he hissed, glaring at Virgil as he meekly scooted by. Virgil yelped when Roman snatched his shirt out of his hands, throwing it into the laundry bin.

Virgil didn’t dare go get it. Instead, he continued walking downstairs. He could feel his chest tingling, glancing down to see more of Patton’s doodles apearing there. _Patton must be drawing on Logan’s chest,_ he realized, tensing at the confrontation that was about to take place. This was going to be a living hell, and it was all his fault.


	11. Confrontational Conversations

Virgil walked downstairs as slowly as possible, avoiding Patton and Logan’s eyes as he sat back down in the chair he had been occupying beforehand. He felt their eyes on him and he wanted to look away, he didn’t want to see them or their eyes that were trained on the marks on his front. He did force himself to take a quick glance, a look of shock, sadness, and understanding on their faces.

When he heard footsteps coming from behind him he froze, jumping when a towel was thrown at his face. He pulled it off his face, watching as Roman took a seat directly across from him. He only had a moment to prepare himself before Roman started to speak.

“You can use that to dry your hair, since we’re going to be here a while,” Roman grumbled out, leaning back into his chair.

“But Roman, shouldn’t he go use a hairdry—” Patton interjected, only to be cut off by Roman

“No, I want to hear what he has to say for himself right now, I don’t want to wait.”

“Roman, we need to talk about this before we bring Virgil into this. I am…I am aware of the issue at hand, but we need to discuss this rationally—”

“I said no! I want to hear what he has to say right now!” Roman barked, before dying down at Patton’s pitiful expression.

Virgil scooted back, biting his lip. “I…I didn’t mean to hurt you, please don’t be mad at each other.”

“But you…but you knew? This whole time?” Patton whispered, his voice clouded by tears. Virgil ducked his head again, unable to look Patton in the eye. He knew he had messed up by not telling them. Now, instead of getting to keep both his parents and his soulmates, he was going to lose the three people who were supposed to make his life complete.

“Please, I....please don’t leave me. I can explain! I swear, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was just-—”

“Just what?” Roman snapped, cutting Virgil off. “Just planning on leaving us in the dark forever? Planning on watching us hope and pray and fucking _plead_ with the universe to give us our final soulmate? When, Virgil, were you planning on revealing to us that you were our soulmate?”

Virgil felt his heart crumbling in his chest, knowing that was exactly what he had been planning on doing. He was selfish, only looking out for himself and how he could come out of this on top. He felt absolutely _awful._ He wanted the floor to split open and swallow him whole. They didn’t deserve to be stuck with such a lousy, good-for-nothing, selfish person like him.

“Roman, that was entirely uncalled for,” Logan scolded, a frown on his face. “Virgil must have had a valid reason for this... right, Virgil?”

That caused Virgil to look back up, looking like a deer caught in headlights. He didn’t have a valid reason for doing it. There wasn’t one.

“Yeah!” Patton piped up, sounding like he was trying to cover up the fact he had been crying. All three of them turned to look at Virgil, giving him their undivided attention.

The blood drained from Virgil’s face, his fingers curling into his pants. He hated it whenever attention was put on him, but it was even worse now that it was the three most important people in his life.

“Well, I...don’t have a good reason for it,” Virgil mumbled, looking away from them. “I was just…scared of rejection?”

“From who?” Roman asked, looking caught in between still being angry and being sympathetic.

“Us?” Patton broke in, looking like he hoped that wasn’t the case at all.

Logan slowly pulled Patton to rest against his side, pursing his lips. “Rejection from your peers?”

“From your friends?”

“Enemies?”

“Coworkers?”

“Teachers?”

“My parents,” Virgil whispered, his vision going blurry. He blinked a few times, tears leaving wet trails down his cheeks. He hadn’t even realized he was crying till then, not that it really mattered. If anyone deserved to cry, it was them, not him.

The silence from those two words seemed to go on forever. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife and heavy enough to suffocate anyone in the room.

“Oh….oh gods, I’m so sorry,” Roman apologized, looking so guilty for being so cruel to Virgil beforehand.

Patton sniffled quietly, reaching out and taking Virgil’s hand, squeezing it tightly. Virgil found he couldn’t—no, he didn’t _want to_ pull away. Patton’s hold was so strong and just so warm that Virgil wanted Patton to hold his hand for the rest of time.

“Virgil, why do you care what they think? They clearly don’t support you, why does it matter if you have three soulmates?” Logan questioned, clearly confused by this new information. He didn’t seem to be able to process the fact that Virgil’s parents didn’t support him for something he couldn’t control.

“They don’t like the idea of soulmates. They think it’s awful and corrupt to have your love life pre-destined. They aren’t soulmates and they raised me to believe the idea of it was unnatural and I can think for myself,” Virgil explained, feeling Patton’s thumb caressing the back of his hand.

“Yeah, but what do you think?” Roman broke in, causing Virgil’s thoughts to stop dead in his tracks.

Virgil paused, taking a moment to actually think it over. No one had ever asked him that, figuring he just went along with what his parents thought.

After a moment’s thought, he had an answer. “I don’t believe that. I want my soulmates, but I’m scared. I’m so scared that if I choose you, I’ll lose my parents forever. I don’t want that, because I love them _and_ you.”

There was more silence, silence that made Virgil’s heart die a little more inside with each tick of the clock on the wall.

Thankfully, Logan broke it before it could go on forever. “Are your parents homophobic?”

“No? Why are you—”

“Are they against polyamorous relationships?” Logan cut Virgil off, evidently deciding his own questions were more important.

“Not that I know of, but I want to kno—”

“Then I see no issues with us having a relationship,” he decided, looking satisfied with his conclusion.

“Virgil was too caught off guard, trying to process exactly what happened. There were so many jumps in logic just from a few questions he couldn’t understand where or how they came about.

“Wait, Logan,” Roman broke in, looking just as startled as Virgil was. “We can’t force him into a relationship with us, this isn’t right.”

“But he just said the reason he avoided us was because of his parents, and I found a loophole. If they do not know we are soulmates, then we can still have a relationship with Virgil. Therefore, there is no reason for him to _not_ join our relationship, as we are his soulmates.”

“What what if he doesn’t want to-”

“I do!” Virgil cut in, not wanting to lose this chance. “Oh _fuck_ I want to join you so bad. I….Logan’s right, my parents don’t have to know we are soulmates.”

“But isn’t that a bit sneaky?” Roman asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you really going to lie to your parents about this?”

“Yeah? I mean, I’m allowed to sneak around a bit. I could be doing drugs or something worse than that. What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Please?” Virgil knew he was begging, but he couldn’t let them leave. If he had to lie to his parents then...then he was going to do it. He was going to start living for himself, starting today.

Roman seemed to contemplate this for a bit, before he sighed. He leaned forward, his hand cupping Virgil’s chin. “Well, then I suppose I can go ahead and do this.” He pulled Virgil close, pressing their lips together.

Virgil froze for a moment, before he melted into the kiss. He felt hot, his entire body being coated with burning flames. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, Roman pulling away soon after, but the fire in his gut seemed to remain.

“Me too!” Patton squeaked, before he yanked Virgil over to him, remembering their linked hands, pressing his lips against Virgil’s in a quick peck.

It was very quick, but even so still seemed to calm the roaring fires some. Now he felt nice and cool, like an ice storm had taken residence in his belly.

Virgil didn’t even have time to respond before Logan slid forward. He only realized Patton had pulled away when a new pair of lips pressed against his without a word.

He felt….well he felt perfect. There wasn’t a roaring fire like Roman’s kiss, or a cooling sensation from Patton’s. It wasn’t too hot, and it wasn’t too cold, it felt just right. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt like little pieces of each of them were taking residence in his gut, not that he minded of course.

All in all, he just felt perfect.

“Was that satisfactory?” Logan asked after he broke away, smirking at how flushed and rattled Virgil appeared.

“Y-yeah it….you all are great kissers,” he mumbled, his cheeks going red when the room broke out into laughter. Soon enough he joined in, laughing until his stomach hurt.

He wasn’t sure what was going to happen, especially since this was so new and so special, but at least he knew one thing for certain. Whatever happens, whether it be good or bad, he wasn’t going to go through it alone. He had his three soulmates with him, and he was never going to hide from them again.


	12. Epilogue

Darkness. Darkness was the first thing Virgil saw when he awoke. He felt his heart hammering in his chest, only to calm once he felt the warm bodies pressing against his sides. _Oh, it’s okay. They are still here._

He looked to his left to see Patton, curled against his side with a dreamy smile on his face. Patton wasn’t wearing his glasses, which made the freckles on his cheeks stick out even more. It made Virgil’s heart skip a beat, heat rising to his cheeks as he looked over Patton’s face, wanting to take in every detail.

He reached out and brushed the golden-brown curls out of Patton’s face. He sucked in a breath when Patton shifted in his sleep, only to relax when Patton stilled once more. Virgil wanted to let Patton sleep for as long as possible, since none of them really had to be up until later to make it to their evening classes.

He slowly turned to his other side to see Roman, breathing softly as he let his face press into the pillow supporting his head. He hadn’t noticed it before, but Roman had a small dimple on the right side of his face. He grinned, noting how it made Roman even cuter than he already was.

Virgil decided that, instead of watching his soulmates sleep, which was weird, he would head into the kitchen to start making them breakfast. He slowly slid out of the tangle of limbs, freezing when Patton shifted and smacked his lips.

He made sure Patton was still sound asleep before continuing to wiggle out. It took far longer than it needed to, especially with how often he had to stop to make sure he didn’t wake them, but it was worth it after he got out without waking them.

Virgil quietly left the bedroom, heading down to get coffee, only to see a steaming purple mug sitting on the coffee table. He looked over, seeing Logan in the love seat, enjoying a cup of coffee himself as he read one of his textbooks.

“A—ah, good morning Logan,” he greeted, taking a seat near Logan.

“Good morning Virgil, come sit with me?” he asked, scooting over to make room for Virgil. “That cup of coffee is for you, by the way. I had a feeling you’d be an early riser ike me, so I took the liberty of making you a cup.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” And he really did. It was only coffee, sure, but it was an extremely thoughtful gesture. Virgil took the cup, scooting over next to Logan and taking his seat. He went to leave a small gap between them, only to have it closed by Logan.

“Are they still asleep?” he asked, unbothered by the fact he was leaning against Virgil.

Virgil, for all he was worth, didn’t want to move away. So he leaned in a bit, silently telling Logan it was okay. “Yeah, I think both of them could sleep through an earthquake,” he teased, enjoying the hearty chuckle he got for that.

“Oh, really? Well, let’s just hope they wake up before breakfast is over so we don’t have to drive off campus to get anything, okay?”

“Okay.” It was quiet for all of two minutes, before Logan slowly pulled away.

Virgil looked up at him, trying to figure out what he was doing. His cheeks instantly darkened, however, when Logan was removing his shirt.

“It’s a good thing that Roman is a deep sleeper, because I was able to fix a mistake in Patton’s drawing yesterday,” He informed, slowly turning around, to show Virgil his back. “It didn’t sit right with me, the heart. So I made a few changes to it. I hope he appreciate’s it.”

Virgil looked over Logan’s back, before they drifted to the heart in the middle. He felt tears welling in his eyes as he saw the _Ro+Lo+Pat 4ever_ had been changed to include him. _Ro+Lo+Pat+V 4ever_ had been fixed, the _V_ being drawn in his signature purple color.

“O-Oh,” he stuttered out, sniffling. He wiped his eyes with his hands. “Thank you...you didn’t have to do that.”

“I didn’t,” Logan agreed, putting his shirt back on. He wrapped his arm around Virgil, pulling him close. “But I wanted to. You’re a part of this now, and I wanted you to be able to see that.”

Virgil was stunned, slowly leaning into Logan. He wanted to cry, but he didn’t want to seem like a crybaby. So instead, he calmed himself down, and whispered out a heartfelt, “Thank you.”

And that was all that needed to be said. Logan went back to his book, and Virgil was satisfied to just play on his phone. He was quiet, Logan was quiet, and it was just genuinely peaceful. This was perfect, a perfect morning to start Virgil’s new life off with a bang.

Now, instead of living for his parents desires, he could start living for himself, for real this time. With the help of his soulmates, he felt unstoppable, he felt like he could conquer the world. Right now though, he was content to sit with Logan, as it was too early to go and conquer worlds right now. Later on though, he would be ready, and to him, that was something special.


End file.
